I Have a Dream

Forty-five years ago today, the famous “I Have a Dream” speech was given on the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Today, this speech is still as powerful as it was 45 years ago.

I Have a Dream

Using Facebook

This past weekend, I joined Facebook. It is a social networking website where you can meet new friends or groups, communicate with existing friends, as well as post photos or videos. At the recommendation, of several genealogy friends, I decided to give the site a try. Since joining, I have connected with a high school friend, a young college student I befriended earlier this year, and with current genealogy pals from various discussion boards I participate in. I have also met new friends. Some of these new friends are friends of online friends I already knew.

To learn more about the features of Facebook, I searched for YouTube videos. Below is one of the helpful videos I found.

Video: How to Use Facebook

Michelle Obama's Speech at Democratic National Convention

Sacred Sunday: Adult Choir at Little Mt. Zion Holy Church

This is a a photo I recently received of the adult choir at Little Mt. Zion Holy Church in White Plains, NY. This church was started by Pennie Johnson Higgs, a sister of my grandfather, George Johnson. She is the older lady to the right in this photo with the white hat and scarf. My maternal grandmother's sister Mary, also attended this church. She is the tall woman on the back row to the left. Aunt Pennie died in December 1966.

Cousin Isabell on Telephone

Cousin Isabell Russell

This is my Cousin Isabell Russell, who was a niece of my great great Grandfather Andrew Bullock (1862-1915). Cousin Isabell was a daughter of his sister Lucy Bullock Russell (1882-1967). Cousin Isabell was born in Norfolk, VA in 1916. Her parents were from Warren County, VA and moved to Norfolk for a few years before 1916. They returned to North Carolina after WWI and lived there the remainder of their lives. Cousin Isabell, however, moved to Connecticut during her adult years. This photo was probably taken in Connecticut.

DNA: Key to Life

This is a short video which describes what DNA looks like.

Jewish Puerto Ricans

DNA testing may reveal surprises and such is the case for husband and wife, Sonia Rosa-Velez and Eliud Bonilla, whose families have a long history of living in Puerto Rico. Learn how this couple and their families dealt with their surprising DNA results.

Tracing your Family Roots – Puerto Rico

Finding Aunt Della’s Correct Birth Year

By the time I met my Aunt Della around 1996, I was in my early 30s, and had been researching my family history for about two years. Aunt Della is the youngest sister of my paternal grandmother, Hattie and she is now the last living of my grandmother’s siblings. Three of her brothers were alive when I began my family history research. Though various conversations with Aunt Della, I have learned about my father’s family. She used 1910 as her birth year, but often said that she didn’t think that was correct. The births of Aunt Della and her siblings had been recorded in the family Bible by her mother, Mary Eliza Robinson Moore (1880-1920,) however this Bible was destroyed in a house fire. By the time she applied for a social security card in the 1960s, she had been using the birth year of 1910.

Early on in my research, I had located Aunt Della’s family on all the censuses available, including her name listed on the 1910, 1920, and 1930 censuses. But it would not be until about two years ago, that I would revisit the census records and reevaluate all the information given on this family. At this time, I looked at the date the census was recorded (May 9, 1910) and noticed that the age of Aunt Della was listed at ‘5-months.’ She had to have been born in 1909 I concluded. (See 1910 Census – Moore Family)

After this discovery, I had several phone conversations with Aunt Della, but I did not want to share this new finding over the phone. In 2007, our family had a reunion and I spoke about our family history, but did not mention this new finding because I felt it was better to talk to her in private first. I did, however, mention this discovery to Aunt Della's youngest daughter, Marva Jo. She told me that she also had discovered this age discrepancy through the census and told her mother about it. However, for whatever reason her mother did not react to this news. The family also continued using Aunt Della's age based on a 1910 birth year.

During the past year, I had several phone conversations with her and intended to visit, but somehow never got around to it. Another family reunion arrived this past 4th of July weekend, and I again spoke at our family banquet about our history and DNA, but did not mention this age discovery. I had prepared poster boards displaying copies of family documents. After showing them to Aunt Della at the reunion, she asked for copies. On the next day, before leaving town, I visited her with copies of documents including the 1910 census.

Aunt Della was not surprised by this new birth year discovery which would make her 98 years old instead of 97. “Come back to see me real soon,” she said as I was about to leave her house. “You know I’m not far from 100,” she said with laughter in her voice. If she lives another year and a half, she will turn the big 100.

1930 Census - Moore Family

By 1930, Robert Moore had a third wife, Elizabeth Mitchell, whom he married on February 23, 1924, in Greensville County. Several of his children had married and left home (Washington, Hattie, Sarah, and Jack.)

1930 Census ~ Zion Township of Greensville County, Virginia